70% of developers plan to give up WeChat mini-app: survey

(ECNS) -- A new survey by iiMedia Research says that nearly 70 percent of developers were disappointed with or planned to give up the WeChat mini-app platform after the program was online for a month.

Although 94.9 percent of developers paid attention to the new WeChat features, only 9.2 percent actually worked on it, the survey showed. It also found that 35.2 percent felt disappointed with the mini-program and another 33.9 percent had no plans for program development in the short term.

One month ago, Chinese Internet giant Tencent launched the lightweight app within WeChat, its blockbuster messaging app. It allows users to directly access applications without having to download native apps.

To developers' hesitation, the Tencent team has called for more time and patience. The mini-program is not to attract Internet traffic, but to help users easily access services and solve real-life problems, it said.

For example, users can easily rent a bicycle from bike-sharing firm Mobike through WeChat by scanning a QR code, instead of running an independent Mobike app first.

Currently, WeChat mini-programs are mainly for users who only need the service at a specific moment, and won't need to access it again later or receive push notifications.

WeChat said it will include more functions in the mini-program, including the information on nearby stores.